NO. 15 ROLL CALL OF IROQUOIS CHIEFS — FENTON 45 



bit of ritual, and Chief Logan who ordinarily lays out the corn at 

 rehearsals overlooked the omission. The other chiefs present, if any 

 one of them noticed the lapse, failed to mention it. The purpose is 

 obviously to remind the Eulogy singer when he reaches the vacant 

 title to insert appropriate phrases of tribute (Fenton, 1946, p. 116). 

 Going back over the midline to the side of the Seneca, kernels were 

 put down for the 14 Onondaga lords, as illustrated (fig. i, e) ; next 

 came the 9 Oneidas in a line of 3 three's ; and likewise the Mohawks, 

 but over the line on the side of the Three Brothers. When he had 

 finished the League was laid out in moieties.^" 



The ritual of the Six Songs was led by Roy Buck, the last song 

 being reserved to sing after the first part of the following chant, just 

 as in the ceremony. Over the Forest was entrusted to Peter John, 

 a Mohawk of about 60, who had the words written out in a notebook 

 into which I suspect he had copied them from Hale. He stood up, 

 adjusted his spectacles, and paced to and fro with a cane, holding 

 the notebook in one hand. Over the Forest (first part) was followed 

 by the sixth song. 



As in the ceremony, each song of the six is raised by a leader who 

 traverses the whole length of the song before it is picked up by the 

 choir of chiefs and repeated. All who desire to learn sit in with the 

 chiefs or behind them. Among them I noted William (Billy) Buck, 

 the accomplished Seneca singer, who had recorded for me in 1941. 

 He was mastering these six songs to add to his already considerable 

 repertoire. 



Over the Forest (part 2) followed, and here Peter John made 

 frequent reference to his notes. No one else seems to know this chant. 

 Since he later performed this role in the ceremony, it appears that 

 no one else is learning it. 



Not so with the roll call or Eulogy, which also devolved on Roy 

 Buck. From his place near the bench where the corn lay, young Buck 

 stood with a cane and paced the length of the house to the far wall, 

 where he turned abruptly each time and came back slowly chanting. 

 I mention this cane because the Onondagas do not have a special 

 Condolence cane, but nevertheless a stout, bent-wood cane is used. 

 Each time a title is sung out in the roll call, the chiefs of that nation 



. 20 Since I was unable to make notes at the time, no objection was taken to 

 my reproducing the diagram on the flat sides of one lead pencil with the point 

 of another. The chiefs present, if they noticed my industry, seemed to think 

 it quite appropriate for me to reproduce the mnemonic. Notes were written 

 afterward. 



